Apparatus for forming a non-woven web

ABSTRACT

AN APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR LAYING DOWN FIBERS IN A CYLINDRICAL OR MODIFIED CYLINDRICAL SHAPE FOR FORMING A NON-WOVEN FIBER WEB. SAID APPARATUS HAS A ROTATING FIBER CONDUIT FOR PLACING FIBERS BETWEEN TWO FORMING ELEMENTS.

APPARATUS FOR FORMING A NON-WOVEN WEB Filed March 9, 1970 lln 42 00000 0 o o o o 00 E 5O 5 00000 0 o o o o o oo 0 44 F/G. I

28 INVENTORS R G VOSS BY R. D. RAMSAY A TT'ORNEYS United States Patent 3,647,597 APPARATUS FOR FORMING A NON-WOVEN WEB Raymond G. Voss and Ray D. Ramsay, Bartlesville, Okla., assignors to Phillips Petroleum Company Filed Mar. 9, 1970, Ser. No. 17,397 Int. Cl. B29j /08 US. Cl. 425-83 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus and method for laying down fibers in a cylindrical or modified cylindrical shape for forming a non-woven fiber web. Said apparatus has a rotating fiber conduit for placing fibers between two forming elements.

This invention resides in a method and apparatus for forming a cylindrical or modified cylindrical, non-woven, fiber web. In another aspect, this invention resides in a method and apparatus for forming a substantially continuous, cylindrical or modified cylindrical, non-woven fiber formed of reinforcing elements and a multiplicity of fibers.

One method of forming a non-woven fiber web is by carding and cross lapping. In this method, individual fibers are aligned in a common direction and thereafter laid down in contacting, cross lapping layers to form a material of generally rectangular configuration. This method requires machinery having a large number of reciprocating, mov ing parts that are expensive and require large amounts of supervision and maintenance.

It is an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for forming a non-woven fiber web. Another object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for forming a fiber web of the above-described type that is of cylindrical or modified cylindrical configuration. Yet another object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for forming a non-woven web of the above-described type with an apparatus that is less expensive and requires less supervision and maintenance than heretofore utilized non-Woven, fiber web forming machinery. Other aspects, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a study of the disclosure, the appended claims, and the drawing.

The drawings are diagrammatic frontal views in partial cross section showing the apparatus of this invention. FIG. 1 is a view of the web forming apparatus and associated equipment of this invention and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of an outlet end portion of a fiber conduit of the apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 1, a forming element 2 is positioned within a chamber 4 of a housing 6. The forming element 2 is maintained in coaxial alignment with the housing 6 and has dimensions sufficient to space the forming element a distance from the walls 8 of the housing 6 over the entire length of the forming element 2 thereby forming an annulus 10 between the two web forming elements 2, 6. Although the forming elements 2, 6 can be of cylindrical configuration, it is preferred that the lower end portions 12,

I 60 has a plurality of openings extending therethrough- Patented Mar. 7, 1972 14 of the forming element 2 and housing 6 each be of a cylindrical configuration tapering toward the outlet end 16 of the housing 6 in order to provide compressing forces to fibers passing through the annulus 10.

At least one fiber conduit 18, preferably a plurality of conduits, each having an outlet end 20 is positioned within the annulus 10 at an upper end portion 22 of said annulus 10. The conduits 18 are connected at an inlet end 26 to a rotating head 24 for rotating the conduits 18 about the forming element 2 within the annulus 10 and passing fibers to and through the conduit 18 and into the annulus 10. The rotating head 24 is driven by a power means (not shown) at preferably a constant rate of speed relative to the discharge rate of the fibers from the conduit to lay down a layer of fibers that is substantially of uniform dimensions. A follower 28, better seen in FIG. 2, is preferably attached to a side of the outlet end 20 of each fiber conduit 18. The follower 28 extends downwardly and outwardly in an opposed direction relative to the direction of movement of the conduit 18 and into contacting relation with the layer of fibers within the annulus 10 for following the outlet end 20, compacting the fiber layer, and smoothing the upper surfaces of the layer.

The forming element 2 has a chamber 30 opening on a first end portion 32 thereof and a plurality of relatively small openings 34 extending through walls 36 of the forming element 2 communicating the annulus 10 with the chamber 30 of the forming element 2. The openings '34 of the forming element 2 are at a location lower in elevation than the outlet end 20 of the fiber conduits 18.

A conduit ring 88 is mounted around an outer surface of the housing 6 at a location lower in elevation than the outlet end 20 of the fiber conduit 18. A plurality of relatively small openings 40 are formed through an inner wall 42 of the ring 38 communicating a chamber 44 of the ring 38 with the outer surface of the housing 6. The ring 38 is sealably and rotatably mounted on the housing 6 and covering a plurality of relatively small openings through the walls 8 of the housing 6. A power means 48 is associated with the ring 38 for rotating the ring about the housing and intermittently passing the small openings 40 of the conduit ring 38 adjacent the small openings 46 of the housing 6. A blower 50, or pressurized gas source, is attached to the ring 38 in communication with the chamber 44 of the ring 38 for passing gas, preferably air, through portions of the relatively small openings 40 of the conduit ring 38, adjacent openings 46 of the housing 6, the adjacent fiber web 52 positioned within the annulus 10, the small openings 34 of the forming element 2, and into the chamber 30 of said forming element 2. The air passing through portions of the fiber web 52 causes the fibers of the web 52 to further interlock one with the other. The air entering the chamber 30 of the forming element 2 from the web 52 is discharged through the opening 54 on the first end portion 32 of said chamber 30. An air discharge conduit 56 is connected to the forming element 2 in communication with the chamber 30 for discharging air from the chamber 30. The discharge conduit extends through an upper end 58 of the housing 6. A guiding means 60 is preferably positioned between the discharge conduit 56 and the upper end 58 of the housing 6. The guiding means forintroducing a plurality of; web-reinforcingelements 62, such as. cotton or polyester spunyarnforexample, into. the annulus for contacting and incorporating said elements- 62-iinto the fiber web 52. ,r

A fiber blower 64is attached to afiber reservoir 63 and invcommunication with'the fiber conduit 18 through conduit 65 forpassing fibers through the conduit and into the-.annulus 10 to form the fiber web 52'. A conduit 66 is in communication with the annulus 10 at a location above theoutlet end of the fiber conduit 18 for removing air from the annulus 10. The discharge conduit 56 and conduit 66 are preferably attached to the intake end of the blower 64 through separating means 68, preferably a cyclone separator or the like, for removing any fibers present in the two streams of air discharging from the forming elements 2, 6. A mixing means 70 can be associated with the fiber reservoir 63 and conduit 65 for adding bonding material to the fibers where such material is desired to be incorporated with the fiber web 52.

A pair of rollers 72, 74 can be positioned adjacent the outlet end 16 of the housing 6 with the fiber web 52 emitting from the housing 6 being positioned between said rollers 72, 74. A drive means 76 can be attached to at least one of the rollers for urging the fiber web 52 from the annulus 10 and a heating means 78 can be attached to at least one, preferably both, of the rollers 72, 74 to increase the temperature of the fiber web 52. The heating means 78 is particularly advantageous where bonding material is incorporated with the fibers and where heat alone is utilized to seal the fibers one to the other- The rollers 72, 74 can also be urged one toward the other to compress the walls of the cylindrical fiber web together. Examples of bonding material that can be used are epoxy resins, or unsaturated polyester resin, and the like. Where heat alone is utilized to fuse portions of the web one to the other, the fibers are comprised of thermoplastic material and their temperature is increased by the heated rollers 72, 74 to a value generally the range of about 350 to 500 F.

Although the forming element 2 and housing 6 have here been described as forming an annulus 10 having a cylindrical configuration, it should be understood that these forming elements 2, 6 can be modified to have other configurations so long as the fiber Web 52 is integrally formed having an open central portion. For example, the web 52 can have a cross section defined by two elongated parallel extending web sides joined at each end one to the other by curved end web portions to resemble a race horse track-like configuration. Such a configuration lends itself particularly to a process wherein the walls of the fibers 52 are fused or connected one to the other by the rollers 72, 74, for example, to form a two-ply sheet of non-woven fiber web.

In the operation of the apparatus, fibers such as polypropylene, polyethylene, cotton, polyester, rayon, nylon and blends of two or more of these in the fiber reservoir 63 are continuously blown by air from the fiber blower 64 into the upper end portion of the annulus 10 to form a continuous layer of fibers and form a fiber web 52. The outlet end 20 of the fib er'conduit 18 can be rotated to move along a circular pathway about the annulus to lay down within the annulus 10 a contiguous layer of fibers having a helical configuration. A plurality of air stream are passed from the blower 50 through the layers of fibers within the annulus 10 for interlocking the fibers together to form a web of fibers having an opened longi-.

tudinally extending central portion. The fiber web 52 isv substantially continuously removed from the outlet end 16 of the housing 6. Rollers 72, 74 can be provided to the I v 4 recovered. and reinjected into the. annulus 10..Air dis charging from the chamber of the forming element 2 is also preferablydischarged into the separating means 68-for removal of fibers entrained in the air stream,

By providing the apparatus and method of this invention, a non-woven cylindrical or modified cylindrical configuration having properties similar to carded and-cross lapped non-woven fiber webs can be formed without the use of reciprocating machinery elements.

Other modifications and alterations of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoingdiscussion and accompanying drawing, and it should be understood that this invention is not to be unduly limited thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for forming a non-woven webof fibers comprising:

a housing having walls and a chamber;

a forming element within the chamber being spaced from the walls of the housing forming an annulus between said housing and forming element over the length of the forming element;

at least one fiber conduit having an outlet end positioned within the annulus and being rotatable about.

the forming element; and

means connected to an inlet end of the fiber conduit for rotating the conduit and passing fibers through the conduit and into the annulus for forming a nonwoven web of fibers having an open longitudinally extending central portion.

2. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 1', wherein there are a plurality of fiber conduits each having an. outlet end positioned within the annulus and being'rotatable about the forming element.

3. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, including means for passing air through the web of fibers within the annulus for further interlocking the fibers of the web one to the other.

4. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the means for passing air through the web of fibers within the annulus comprises:

the forming element having a chamber opening on a first end portion thereof'and a plurality of relatively small openings extending through walls of the forming element with said small openings being at a location lower in elevation than the outlet end of the fiber conduit;

a conduit ring having a plurality of relatively small openings on an inner wall and being rotatably mounted around an outer surface of the housing at a location lower in elevation than the outlet end of the fiber conduit and adjacent a plurality of relatively small openings through the walls of the housing for moving said conduit ring around the housing and intermittently passing the small openings of the conduit ring adjacent the small openings of the housing; and

means for passing gas through portions of the small openings of the conduit ring, adjacent springs of the housing, the fiber web positioned within the annulus and the small openings of the forming element.

5. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 4,'including a blower attached at the inlet end to the chamber opening of the forming element for removing .air from the charnber.

6. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, including means for removing air from the annulus at a location higher in elevation than the outlet end of the fiber conduit.

6 of the nozzles and in communication with the web of the References Cited fi UNITED STATES PATENTS a drive means on at least one of the rollers for urging 2 897 874 8/1959 stalego et aL 156*371 the web of fibers from the annulus; and :9 :55 3 19 1 Russel 5 377 a heating means associated with at least one of the 5 rollers for increasing the temperature of the fiber BENJAMIN BORCHELT, Prlmafy Examiner web. H. TUDOR, Assistant Examiner 9. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, including means associated with the fiber conduit for adding bond- 0 ing material to the fibers. 15662.2

19494 Fm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTIQT Patent No. 3,647,597 Dated Marc] 7 Raymond G. Voss, et 8.1

It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that ea. Letters Patent are-hereby corrected as shown below:

Clziim h, colunn 1+, line 59, "springs" should read openings Signed and sealed this 11th day of July 1972.

(SEAL) Attest EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

